Gemma 3 12B vs GPT-4o

GPT-4o leads the LLM Stats Score 11.5 to 5.6. Gemma 3 12B is 58.3x cheaper per token.

Google · OpenAI · Updated for 2026

Which is better?

GPT-4o leads the overall LLM Stats Score 11.5 to 5.6, ranking #260 overall.

In the 4 individual benchmarks reported for both models, GPT-4o wins 3; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.

On price, Gemma 3 12B is roughly 58.3x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Gemma 3 12B also accepts a larger context window (131,072 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.

Choose Gemma 3 12B

cost matters — it's about 58.3x cheaper per token
you process long inputs — it offers a 131,072 token context window
you want the most recent training data — it shipped Mar 2025
you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose GPT-4o

overall performance matters — it scores 11.5 and ranks #260 on LLM Stats
your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 3 of 4 exact shared results

At a glance

The differences that matter most.

Better token value: Gemma 3 12B

Core performance indexes

LLM Stats Score

5.6

#298 · 26 evals

11.5

#260 · 8 evals

Best

Reasoning

5.9

#292 · 20 evals

12.2

#249 · 7 evals

Best

Coding

2.8

#225 · 2 evals

11.7

#155 · 1 evals

Best

Cost, coverage & limits

Benchmark wins

1 of 4

3 of 4

Best

Input price

$0.05 / M

Best

$2.50 / M

Output price

$0.15 / M

Best

$10.00 / M

Context window

131,072

Best

128,000

Capability indexes

Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks

1 shared

Index

Gemma 3 12B

GPT-4o

Math

12.9#229 · 6 evals

18.1#185 · 6 evals

Conservative TrueSkill rating · higher is betterHow scores work

Individual benchmarks

26 reported for Gemma 3 12B · 8 for GPT-4o

4 shared

Gemma 3 12B outperforms in 1 benchmarks (MATH), while GPT-4o is better at 3 benchmarks (GPQA, HumanEval, MMLU-Pro).

GPT-4o shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

Tue Sep 22 2026 • llm-stats.com

Human preference

Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Gemma 3 12B costs less

For input processing, Gemma 3 12B ($0.05/1M tokens) is 50.0x cheaper than GPT-4o ($2.50/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemma 3 12B ($0.15/1M tokens) is 66.7x cheaper than GPT-4o ($10.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, GPT-4o is more expensive than Gemma 3 12B.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers

Tue Sep 22 2026 • llm-stats.com

Gemma 3 12B

Input tokens$0.05

Output tokens$0.15

Best providerDeepinfra

GPT-4o

Input tokens$2.50

Output tokens$10.00

Best providerAzure

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Gemma 3 12B accepts 131,072 input tokens compared to GPT-4o's 128,000 tokens. Gemma 3 12B can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while GPT-4o is limited to 4,096 tokens.

Gemma 3 12B

Input131,072 tokens

Output131,072 tokens

GPT-4o

Input128,000 tokens

Output4,096 tokens

Tue Sep 22 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input capabilities

Documented input modalities across available providers

Both Gemma 3 12B and GPT-4o support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

Gemma 3 12B

Text

Images

Audio

Video

GPT-4o

Text

Images

Audio

Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemma 3 12B is licensed under Gemma, while GPT-4o uses a proprietary license.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

Gemma 3 12B

Gemma

Open weights

GPT-4o

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemma 3 12B was released on 2025-03-12, while GPT-4o was released on 2024-05-13.

Gemma 3 12B is 10 months newer than GPT-4o.

Gemma 3 12B

Mar 12, 2025

1.5 years ago

10mo newer

GPT-4o

May 13, 2024

2.4 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Provider Availability

Gemma 3 12B is available from DeepInfra. GPT-4o is available from Azure, OpenAI.

Gemma 3 12B

Deepinfra

Input Price:Input: $0.05/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.15/1M

GPT-4o

Azure

Input Price:Input: $2.50/1MOutput Price:Output: $10.00/1M

OpenAI

Input Price:Input: $2.50/1MOutput Price:Output: $10.00/1M

* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Gemma 3 12B and GPT-4o side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Gemma 3 12B

✓ Preferred

GPT-4o

Open in Playground

FAQ

Common questions about Gemma 3 12B vs GPT-4o.

Which is better, Gemma 3 12B or GPT-4o?

GPT-4o leads the LLM Stats Score 11.5 to 5.6. Gemma 3 12B is made by Google and GPT-4o is made by OpenAI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their capability indexes, individual benchmarks, pricing, and limits above.

How does Gemma 3 12B compare to GPT-4o in benchmarks?

Gemma 3 12B scores GSM8k: 94.4%, IFEval: 88.9%, DocVQA: 87.1%, BIG-Bench Hard: 85.7%, HumanEval: 85.4%. GPT-4o scores MGSM: 90.5%, HumanEval: 90.2%, MMLU: 88.7%, DROP: 83.4%, MATH: 76.6%.

Is Gemma 3 12B cheaper than GPT-4o?

Gemma 3 12B is 50.0x cheaper for input tokens. Gemma 3 12B costs $0.05/M input and $0.15/M output via deepinfra. GPT-4o costs $2.50/M input and $10.00/M output via azure.

What are the context window sizes for Gemma 3 12B and GPT-4o?

Gemma 3 12B supports 131K tokens and GPT-4o supports 128K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Gemma 3 12B and GPT-4o?

Key differences include LLM Stats Score (5.6 vs 11.5), context window (131K vs 128K), input pricing ($0.05 vs $2.50/M), licensing (Gemma vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Gemma 3 12B and GPT-4o?

Gemma 3 12B is developed by Google and GPT-4o is developed by OpenAI.

Gemma 3 12B vs GPT-4o